The huge financial power of the Top 14 was clearly illustrated in a report carried by Midi Olympique which claims the average budget is now a cool €21.2m.

Figures obtained by financial watchdog 'Direction nationale d'aide et de contrôle de gestion' put into perspective the power of the league where the average wage budget rose to €7.4m, while the average budget for a Top 14 club was €21.2m last term with the highest coming in at €35m.

One of the most alarming elements of the report was the collective deficit of the top two leagues which rose to €33.9m, with Racing Metro, Stade Francais and Castres have contributing just over half of that. The report also said Toulon and Brive are the only Top 14 clubs to post a profit.

The lowest budget in the Top 14 in 2004/05 was just over €2m, but that rose to almost €11m by the 2013/14 season.

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